Jimmy Kimmel told viewers of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Monday that Matthew McConaughey once hugged him in a bathroom at the Emmy Awards while the actor’s penis was hanging out of his pants, turning a moment of grief into an unlikely story of comfort.
Kimmel shared the anecdote while Woody Harrelson sat beside him promoting “Brothers,” the new Apple TV comedy series he and McConaughey star in together. The host explained that he had slipped away from the ceremony after growing emotional during the In Memoriam segment, which paid tribute to Cleto Escobedo III, his childhood friend and longtime bandleader, who died earlier this year.
“I started getting choked up,” Kimmel recalled. “I went to the bathroom, I’m washing my hands. I noticed next to me — I mean, right next to me — is Matthew McConaughey. He’s at the urinal.” According to Kimmel, McConaughey noticed his distress, asked if he was okay, and then pulled him into an extended embrace without stepping away from the urinal first.
Kimmel said he asked McConaughey point-blank whether his penis was exposed during the hug. The actor confirmed it was, then added a line Kimmel repeated on air: he planned to press against him briefly. Kimmel said the exchange caught him off guard enough to break through his sadness. He told Harrelson the moment eased his grief and that Escobedo would have appreciated the humor in it.
Harrelson added his own detail to the story, saying he stepped out of a bathroom stall at the exact moment the hug was taking place. He said he chose not to comment on what he witnessed, reasoning that people’s private moments were their own business, regardless of the setting.
McConaughey had not publicly responded to the story as of Monday night. The anecdote quickly circulated online, drawing attention back to “Brothers,” which premieres on Apple TV this week and casts McConaughey and Harrelson as exaggerated versions of themselves.
